I guarded Impel Down for a hundred years in the pirate world.

The clenched right fist of the chimpanzee that shattered the hill suddenly gave Figo a sense of disharmony, and the punch he threw as he charged towards Rocks confirmed Figo's perception.

Previously, Rocks was able to catch the blows steadily, but this time he was hit so hard that he coughed up blood and sank into the ground, suffering considerable damage!

"What is that?" Rocks, who had dodged another punch from the chimpanzee, frowned and murmured the same question, before manipulating the rubble to meet the attack.

The chimpanzee, slightly out of breath, smashed the flying boulder and sneered, "Stop pretending! A strongman like you wouldn't know about illusory fire? Let's move on to the next stage of the battle. Don't hold back your energy. I'm not so easily defeated by you!"

"False fire?" Lox's eyes flashed.

The chimpanzee paused for a moment.

He stared at Rocks, a look of shock slowly spreading across his face: "You can't? No, that's not right, you're not a space pirate?! Who are you?!"

Lox remained silent.

"Mind Network, Armor, Overlord Aura, and the Six Starry Sky Techniques—you've only used three! You haven't even used Flight!" The chimpanzee's eyes widened. "You only know three?! How did you acquire this power? Where did you come from?!"

Boom! Boom!

As if hearing the chimpanzee's shout, Omef and Sebek used the same technique to smash the Golden Lion and Krissi away!

Then the two stared at each other in shock.

"R-really you can't?"

"Impossible! They don't even know how to generate true fire, how could they cultivate to such a high level?!"

"But……"

Chapter 138 Rocks lights the lamp

"The Six Techniques of the Starry Sky, False Fire?"

Figo said into the Den Den Mushi, "Based on their words and the information we already know, the 'Mind Web' they're referring to is Observation Haki, 'Armor' is Armament Haki, and 'Conqueror's Haki' is what they call 'Haki' directly."

In other words, in the starry sky, besides these three types of Haki, there are three other techniques that can enhance strength on par with the three types of Haki: Illusory Fire, Soaring Through the Sky, and a technique whose name is currently unknown. Qinghai has not inherited these techniques, which is the gap between us and them.

But it's okay, we have it now.

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Sora and the others exchanged glances, all wearing expressions of great joy.

Ignoring Figo's exceptional combat ability, as Qinghai's top combat force, the fact that the two of them together were able to defeat the chimpanzee is not something to be ashamed of. It seems that the problem is not their talent, but rather the issue of inheritance.

The fact that the three battlefields have come to a standstill suggests that this is not a minor issue.

The chimpanzee stared at Rocks and said, "You really don't know, or even know, right? You're not space pirates. You're natives of this place or a nearby planet. You created the Devil Race and obtained Devil Fruits because of the Devil Race Liberation Plan back then, right?"

The previous concealment failed, but it didn't matter at this point. Rocks laughed loudly, "Continue the fight, aliens!"

Sure enough... the chimpanzee's eyes darkened, and he shouted, "Don't worry about losses, capture them with all your might! They are the Celestial Dragons, a civilization with extremely high potential and cunning, not space pirates!"

"Yes!"

Three battles have resumed, and this time, the three initially disadvantaged Mink race members have turned the tide.

Figo was still recording and observing, his Observation Haki focused on the three of them. He murmured, "It seems like I'm starting to get a clue. That illusory fire should be a change and power exertion technique at the cellular level. The process seems to be mimicking the change in power when I light a lamp, giving the attack a certain degree of penetrability."

"Uncle Figo, aren't you going to make a move?"

“No rush. A high-pressure battle is a good opportunity for them to get stronger, especially for Lox.” Figo pointed the camera at the battlefield filled with rubble: “It’s a rare opportunity.”

Rocks did feel the pressure.

Since using that so-called "illusory fire" technique, the chimpanzee in front of me has become like a low-budget version of Figo. It can't take punches and kicks head-on; if it does, it will get injured. It can only fight by maneuvering around.

It's not fair to call it a defeat. A low-end version is a low-end version. The gathered peaks can suppress him. His increasingly heavy breathing also shows that the use of that technique has been quite taxing. The outcome will be determined by time. Locke has a certain degree of confidence.

But he was not satisfied.

These past few days, Locke had been thinking about his fight with Figo, summarizing his experiences, and a vague, unspoken feeling had been creeping into his mind—my attacks seemed to have been a bit too flashy.

Before eating the Devil Fruit, he was a master swordsman and possessed powerful Haki, charging into battle swiftly and decisively. After eating the Devil Fruit, however, he resorted to pulverizing the earth and using cherry blossom sword techniques, lacking the previous swift and satisfying ability to defeat enemies.

He has become stronger, suppressing his enemies at the foot of the mountain where they can only take a beating, and he also has the aura of a great pirate.

But encountering someone like Figo is a joke.

Moreover, it doesn't fit his personality.

What kind of battle does he hope for?

What kind of blow does he hope the enemy will suffer?

He thought of the small lunchbox that kept breaking in his hands, of the shattered island, and many other things, and suddenly a smile appeared on his lips.

The bloodstain on his face only added to his ferocity!

All the flying, shattered stones suddenly fell to the ground, and the cherry blossom blades that had been slashing at the chimpanzee flew back, turning into black blades that Rocks once again grasped in his hand!

A different feeling arose.

The chimpanzee didn't know why he did this, but it still seized the opportunity, pounced in front of him, clasped its hands together, and smashed them down!

Rocks met him with both swords raised!

bang——

The immense force forced him to his knees, and the earth within a radius of several thousand meters shattered with a deafening roar! Lox coughed up a mouthful of blood, his arms trembling as he supported himself, but his smile only widened!

"Tear me apart!" he screamed!

The chimpanzee's pupils suddenly contracted.

An irresistible force struck his fists as they met the blade! A terrifying warning came from his mental network, and he quickly withdrew his strength!

But then, with a "poof" sound, it felt as if two muscles inside his arms had exploded, spurting out blood!

The chimpanzee retreated in horror, looking at its arm with two more bloody pits, sweat beading on its forehead.

"You...this is..."

"That's the feeling!" Rocks uttered those words again. That's the feeling. With one strike, the enemy is torn to pieces—that's the power I want, that's the fruit I desire!

A strange change was still ongoing within his body. The chimpanzee growled, "You lit the lamp?! You guys who can't even generate a phantom flame, where did you freaks come from?!"

Rocks, however, seemed to ignore him.

He experienced the changes brought about by the Devil Fruit, the transformation of his power, and his smile grew wider and wider.

That's it, that's the feeling!

I can challenge Gaston Figo for the third time! This power is definitely enough to hurt him!

The chimpanzee, panting heavily, glared at Lockes with increasingly red eyes: "Damn it! I don't want to use my bloodline to light the lamp! Damn it!"

"Hmm?" Lox looked at him. "You mean, you can light lamps too?"

"Are you underestimating me? You ignorant fool living on the edge of the universe! As a pure-blooded Mink, only those who possess strength approaching mine have a great chance to use our Mink bloodline to ignite the flame and enhance our bloodline talents!" the chimpanzee said defiantly.

"If I didn't want to use my strongest physique to light the lamp, I would have already lit it and become another duke of the Mink Tribe!"

"...The strongest physique?"

"Hmph, ignorant fellow, let me tell you a little common sense. There are many ways to light a lamp: physical strength, bloodline, willpower, spirit... and it can be lit more than once."

But lighting the lamp a second time is ten times harder than the first, and of all the gains from lighting the lamp, physical strength is universally acknowledged to be the best, whether in combat power or the ability to travel through the stars... I'm going to be the strongest if I'm going to do it, and now you're forcing me..."

Babani gritted her teeth, seemingly very reluctant, and said, "I'll give you one more chance. Since you know nothing, we can still reconcile. But if you force me to light the lamp with my bloodline, only one of us can live today!"

It turned out to be all bark and no bite. Lox saw through it immediately, but his excitement at lighting the lamp quickly faded. He asked, "Will lighting the lamp with my physique really make me much stronger than I am now?"

Just as the chimpanzee was about to answer, another voice suddenly sounded behind him: "Indeed, he is stronger, but you've only just begun. You still have a period of rapid improvement. No rush, no rush. Congratulations on lighting the lamp, Rocks."

"It's that same old story again..." Lockes scoffed. "Is there still no chance of winning this challenge?"

The chimpanzee turned its head stiffly and saw Figo smiling broadly: "Y-you are?!"

He suddenly remembered that before entering the planet's protective membrane, Omf had said that he had seen people, and that the spaceship had been mysteriously discovered after entering the protective membrane.

"Physical strength, lighting lamps? Impossible! Even in the center of the universe, in the Celestial Dragons' country..."

"Impossible, impossible..."

Under Figo's gaze, the chimpanzee's voice grew softer and softer, gradually canceling its Sulong transformation and shrinking back to its five-meter size. Looking at Figo, it swallowed hard and asked, "You... do you have internal heat?"

"No, can you teach me?"

"Hey." The chimpanzee forced a smile.

Mom, I've encountered a monster's lair.

Help.

Chapter 139 Questions and Answers

It's a ghost!

When they squatted down with the chimpanzee and learned that Figo was a powerful figure who ignited the lamp with his body, a 'native' of this corner of the starry sky, and even a native who had never mastered the illusory fire, both the pig girl and the crocodile man had expressions of utter disbelief.

How exactly do these indigenous people cultivate themselves?

What incredible luck! We've encountered something that no one in the entire Star Sea has ever heard of before.

"Ba, Baba Ni-sama..."

Could it be a misjudgment? They tricked us from the very beginning by pretending to be space pirates! The pig girl still harbored some wishful thinking.

If a bloodline king fights with all his might, he might have a chance to win, but if it's a physique king...

“He is indeed a physical powerhouse, I have no doubt about it. They are very likely… from a planet of resurgence.” The chimpanzee’s low voice shattered all the other two’s hopes.

"What do we do?!" the pig girl Omef cried, "This is worse than encountering the demon civilization! I'm only 20 years old, I don't even have a boyfriend, and even that... am I going to die here? Waaah..."

"We won't do anything to you." Figo, having finished instructing Krissy and the others, heard the crying and offered a comforting remark. He then turned to Locke and said, "Lox, get us some stone benches to sit on."

After lighting the lamp, Rocks Fruit's control over its power reached a new level. He grimaced slightly, then casually broke and reassembled the fruit into four appropriately sized stone benches for Figo and the three Mink Tribe members to sit on.

Feeling a little relieved after sitting down, the pig girl glanced at Figo while sobbing. Then the three of them heard Figo say, "Please forgive us for using this somewhat impolite method when we first met you. For us, who know almost nothing about the stars, this concerns the fate of everyone, so it was necessary to be cautious. You can understand, right?"

I can understand it, but...

The chimpanzee looked at Figo and said, "Actually, you didn't need to be so cautious..."

The pig girl nodded her head like a rattle drum.

Figo smiled: "Are there very few people in the starry sky who light their own lamps?"

"Well, it's not that there are very few. In the center of the starry sky, in the Celestial Dragons' kingdom or some races with astonishing talent, there are quite a few. But in this place where even the Six Star Techniques haven't been fully passed down, you seem to be just an ordinary human..."